Great gardens are colorful throughout the growing season. Many perennials can be grown in Iowa to provide flowers and interest year after year in late summer and fall. These perennials are great additions to the Iowa garden to get plenty of late-season blooms.
Late Season Perennial Flowers
| Common and Scientific Name | Light | Height/Width (feet) | Flower Color | Nativity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| corydalis (Pseudofumaria lutea) | Part to Full Shade | 1'-1.5'/1'-1.5' | yellow | Europe | |
| coral bells (Heuchera) | Full Sun to Part Shade | 0.75'-2'/1'-2' | white, pink | hybrid | many cultivars also have attractive foliage |
| foamflower (Tiarella) | Full to Part Shade | 1'-1.5'/1'-2' | white, pink | North America | |
| calamint (Calamintha nepeta) | Full Sun | 1.5'/1.5' | white | Eurasia | highly attractive to pollinators |
| pincushion flower (Scabiosa) | Full Sun | 1.5'-2'/1.5' | blue | Eurasia | |
| showy stonecrop (Hylotelephium) | Full Sun | 1.5'-2'/1.5'-2' | pink | hybrid | |
| mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) | Full to Part Sun | 2'-3'/1'-1.5' | white | North America, including parts of Iowa | tolerates wet soils |
| black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) | Full Sun | 2'-3'/1'-2' | yellow | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| toad lily (Tricyrtis) | Part to Full Shade | 2'-3'/1.5'-2' | pink | Asia | |
| Balloon Flower (Platycodon) | Full to Part Sun | 2.5'-3'/2' | blue, white | China, Japan | |
| white woodland aster (Eurybia divaricatus) | Part Shade | 2'-4'/1'-2' | white | North America | |
| vervain (Verbena stricta) | Full to Part Sun | 2'-4'/1.5'-2' | blue-violet | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) | Full to Part Sun | 2'-4'/1.5'-2' | pink | North America | |
| little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) | Full Sun | 2'-4'/1.5'-2' | purple/bronze | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) | Full to Part Sun | 2'-5'/1'-2' | green, tan | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) | Full Sun | 2'-4'/1.5'-3' | purple | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| windflower (Anemone × hybrida) | Full to Part Sun | 2'-4'/2'-3' | white, pink | Asia | |
| monkshood (Aconitum napellus) | Full Sun | 3'-4'/1'-2' | purple | Europe | |
| obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) | Full to Part Sun | 3'-4'/2'-3' | pink, white | North America, including parts of Iowa | tolerates wet soils |
| New York aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii) | Full Sun | 3'-4'/2'-3' | violet, white, pink | North America | attracts butterflies |
| goldenray (Ligularia dentata) | Full to Part Shade | 3'-4'/2'-3' | yellow | China, Japan | |
| bugbane (Actaea simplex) | Full to Part Shade | 3'-4'/2'-3' | white | Asia | |
| goldenrod (Solidago) | Full to Part Sun | 0.5'-5'/0.5'-3' | yellow | North America | many species available vary widely in size |
| Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) | Full SUn | 3'-5'/1'-2' | tan | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) | Full Sun | 3'-5'/1.5'-2' | yellow | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) | Full Sun | 3'-5'/2'-3' | yellow | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) | Full Sun | 3'-5'/2'-4' | lavender/blue | Asia | |
| rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) | Full Sun | 4'-5'/2'-3' | greenish white | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus) | Full Sun | 4'-5'/2'-4' | pink, red, white | hybrid | tolerates wet soils |
| switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) | Full Sun | 3'-6'/2'-3' | pinkish | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) | Full Sun | 3'-6'/2'-4' | yellow | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| boltonia (Boltonia asteroides) | Full Sun | 5'-6'/2'-4' | white, pink | North America, including parts of Iowa | |
| Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) | Full Sun | 5'-6'/2'-4' | pink | North America, including parts of Iowa | tolerates wet soils |
| Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) | Full Sun | 4'-7'/2'-4' | white | North America, including parts of Iowa | tolerates wet soils |
| Japanese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis cultivars) | Full Sun | 4'-9'/3'-6' | silver | Asia | |
| plume grass (Saccharum ravennae, formerly Erianthus ravennae) | Full Sun | 6'-12'/4'-6' | purple-bronze | Mediterranean |
More Information
- Late-Season Perennial Flowers (publication)
- Perennials with Fall Color
- Perennials for Sun (publication)
- Perennials for Shade (publication)
- Trees and Shrubs with Great Fall Color
